Tacking and stapling machine



July 2, 1940. A. L. HANSEN 2,206,460

TACKING AID STAPLING IACHIHB Filed March 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w 26 will? H I Z9 M; a W

24 \30226 i1 6 Ewen/$01,"

July'Z, 1940'. A. HANSEN 2,336,460

PACKING AID STAPLING IACHIII Filed March 14, 1938 2 Shins-Sheet 2 Patented July 2, 1940 2,206,460 TACKING AND STAPLING MACHINE Augie L. Hansen, Chicago, Ili., assignor to A. L. Hausa: Mfg. 00., Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illin Application Mail. 14, 1938, Serial No. 195,802

Claims;

This invention relates to improvements in staple-driving machines of the tacker type, and has for its principal object to provide a simplified, improved and more economical construction for 5 machines of the character described.

The subject-matter of the present invention is illustrated herein as applied to a stapling or tacking machine of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,080,130 issued May 11, 1937. In tacking 1 machines of this character, one of the principal difiiculties encountered in its operation has been that of clogging of the machine at the delivery head where the staples are expelled fromthe machine. In order to minimize this tendency, the

1?. parts of the delivery head which define the driveway or discharge passage have usually been made of hardened metal held to precise dimensions, and special means have further beenprovided for securing the parts of the driveway together to in exact relationship, and yet affording access to the driveway to permit clearing of the latter when clogging occurs.

In spite of-the various improvements'along these lines, machines of this type frequently begi come clogged and jammed so as to be rendered inoperative. Moreover, when such clogging occurs, access to the driveway for clearing the machine has been rendered somewhat more difficult, due to the special fastening and locking devices that have been devised to confine the driveway to precise working dimensions.

In carrying out the present invention, I provide an improved and simplified construction of delivery head wherein the front jaw portion which encloses and defines the forward wall of the staple driveway is instantaneously removable without tools when the machine is not in operation, but is so connected to the spring which drives the tacking hammer that said jaw portion 4(115 automatically urged under greatly increased pressure into proper position relative to the driveway, whenever the machine is being operated. However, the jaw member is held under yielding pressure at all times so as to assist in the ejection of faulty staples, and permit self-clearing of the machine, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simpler form of machine in which" the delivery passage is located nearer the front surface of the driving head than formerly, thus permitting staples to be applied to surfaces in closer proximity'to overhanging shoulders.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from time to time as the following description proceeds.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stapling or I tacking machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the machine shown in Fig, 1, with parts broken away to show 1 the construction of the head and drive springs and showing the operating mechanism in normal position.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the machine, showing the front jaw member in normal closed position.

Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the head showing the front jaw member swung into partially relieved position, but indicating in dotted lines how said jaw is moved to fully closed position when operating pressure is applied to the ma- 20 chine.

Fig. 6 is a front view similar to Fig. 4, but with a part of the front jaw broken away and showing the driving blade in elevated position.

Fig. 7 is a side view in part section showing the 25 removable head portion in the same depressed unlocking position as shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a detail side view of the head showing the removable head portion in fully unlocked I position.

Fig. 9 is a front view of the machine showing the removable head portion in unlocked position and swung forwardly and upwardly still further than in the position shown in Fig. 8.

, Referring now to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, It! indicates the base of the improved staple-driving or tacking machine; ll indicates a handle carried thereby; It indicates a hollow head at the driving end of the base, which head houses a driving plunger 40 i3 and the springs I 4, H for driving it; IS indicates an operating lever to be gripped by the palm of the hand with the fingers engaged below the handle II when operating the plunger to drive a staple; I6 indicates generally a spring- 45 controlled linkage of the usual type connecting the lever [B to a pawl I 1 which raises the plunger and releases it at a predetermined point; and l0, l8 indicates spaced upright wings extending upwardly from the base l0 and rearwardly from 50 the head l2, which wings provide support for the lever I 5, the linkage l6 and pawl IL and having an arbor on which is mounted the coil spring l9 which acts in the usual manner to feed the staples to be driven. 55

In the form shown herein, the wings l3, bottom plate or shoe 20 of base l0, and side walls 2|, 2| of the hollow head l2 are all formed of a single piece of sheet'metal bent in U-shape, as

6 shown. Marginal flanges 22, 22 of the same piece of metal complete the front wall of said hollow head, while flanges 23, 23 complete the rear wall of said hollow head above the side wings l8.

Within the base II) are mounted a filler plate 10 24, side channel plates 25, 25, and a center plate 23, which provide a horizontal way or magazine along which the staples are fed to a vertical driveway 21. In the form shown, the sides of said driveway are defined by the front ends of the channel plates 23, 25. The rear wall of said driveway is formed by the front end of center plate 28 and cut-away portions of the bottom plate and filler plate 24 at the front end of the base. The front wall of said driveway is 20 formed by a removable jaw member 29, which will hereinafter be more fully described. .A driving blade 30 depends from the driving plunger i3 and operates through said vertical driveway.

An anvil plate 23, together with a superim- 25 posed pad 23 of suitable resilient material, are mounted at the front end of the base on the channel plates 25 in position to receive the blow of the plunger l3 when it reaches the end of its downward movement, as shown in Fig. 3.

The hollow head i2 is open at the top end 32 which is closed by a cap 33 telescoped thereon. The two drive springs l4, l4 in the hollow head i2 are interposed between the driving plunger i3 and the cap 33 so that said cap forms in effect 35 a reaction member for the drive springs.

A set screw 35 is passed through the lower edge of cap 33 and is engaged in an elongated slot 36 formed in the front wall of the head l2 so as to permit limited vertical movement of 40 said cap, but prevent accidental removal of the latter relative to the head, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Referring now more particularly to the front jaw member 29 and its relationship with the parts hereinabove described, said jaw member comprises a front wall 4|! having flanged cheeks 4|, 4| overlapping the side wings I3, l8 of the machine, and with the bottom edge normally flush with the bottom surface of base In. Two links 42, 42 are pivotally connected at their upper ends to opposite sides of the cap 33, and are provided with L-shaped, rearwardly projecting portions 43, 43 at their lower ends pivotally connected to the rear ends of the checks 4|, 4| of said jaw member.

A catch or locking projection 45 is mounted on the front face of the head l2 in position to engage the upper edge of the jaw member 29. In the form shown, said catch is carried by a metal strip welded or otherwise fastened to the side wings l3, and is adapted to be detachably engaged by the upper edge of said jaw member, as is best seen in Fig. 5.

It will be understood that the driving springs I4, I4 are normally placed under comparatively little compression when the cap 33 is assembled on the top of the head i2, and the jaw member 23 is engaged beneath the catch 43. Accordingly, the said jaw member normally is urged toward the front of the base III to enclose the front of the driveway 21 under a relatively slight yielding tension imposed thereon by the springs I4, I 4, acting through the cap 33 and the links 42,

42 in a rearwardly inclined plane passing through the points of pivotal connection at the bottom of said links, while the catch 45 forms in effect a fulcrum about which said jaw member is yield-' ably rockable.

The operation of the device above described is as follows: When a staple is to be driven, the I stapling machine is brought to proper position, with the bottom wall of the base in contact with the surface into which the staple is to be driven. The lever i5 is then operated to raise the plunger I3 to the upper limit of its movement, where it 10 is automatically released as usual by the disengagement of the pawl I5. It will be observed that as soon as the plunger starts to move upwardly and compress the springs I4, l4 against the cap 33, the upward pressure imposed on the II cap 33 due to the increased compression of said springs is transferred through links 42, 42 to the rearwardly extending cheeks 4|, 4| of the jaw member, so as to increase the lifting pressure on said jaw member and tend to swing the latter rearwardly about the catch 45 as a fulcrum. This swinging movement of the jaw is indicated in somewhat exaggerated form in Fig. 5 which shows in dotted lines the inward swinging movement of said jaw member during compression and SI release of the driving springs l4, l4. It will thus be observed that whenever the machine is actuated for driving a staple, the confining pressure of the jaw member toward the driveway 21 is enormously increased so as to maintain the I! proper working size of said driveway at this moment. Upon the release of the plunger, the driving blade 30 is driven down through said driveway to discharge the staple from the machine. As soon as the driving stroke is completed, how- I ever, the inward, holding pressure on the jaws resumes its normal value.

It will be observed further, that although considerable pressure from the driving springs I4,

I4 is transferred to the jaw member 23 during 0 the operation of the machine, yet said jaw member is still capable of forward yielding movement by further compression of the driving springs, in case the driveway should become clogged. Sufficient yieldability is thus aiforded the jaw to permit said blade to reciprocate in its driveway, even though said driveway may become seriously clogged or jammed by one or more mutilated staples. Therefore, the blade can usually clear the machine in one or more succeeding '0 strokes. If not cleared in a single stroke, it will be observed that the release of the maximum operating tension on the jaw after the completion of each stroke, as previously described, aids in clearing the machine during the next or succeedll ing strokes of the driving blade. With the novel construction above described, I find that it is practically impossible to clog or jam the machine permanently, but that in almost every case the machine can successfully clear itself quickly with- U out injury thereto.

In case it is necessary or desirable to remove the jaw member 29, however, this can be accomplished instantaneously, without the aid of any tools, simply by exerting a slight downward pres- 06 sure on the cap 33 suillcient to move the upper edge of the jaw 29 out of engagement beneath the catch 45, as is best indicated in Fig. 7. The jaw is than free to be swung forwardly away from the base of the machine, as shown in Fig. 8, or in 10 a still further elevated position as shown in Fig.

9. In either case, the front face of the delivery blade 30 is fully exposed. The driveway 21 can, of course, be. likewise fully exposed when the driving blade 3|! is partially raised by the lever 76 II. The jaw member can be readily returned to normal closed position shown'in Fig. 5, simply by exerting suflicient pressure on the cap 183 and springs ll to permit re-engagement of said jawv pressure or reaction of the driving springs ll on cap 33 is carried by the jaw member 29' through the cap 33 and links 42 ;at all times that the jaw member is engaged beneath the catch 45, as previously described, the set screw 35 is free to move along slot 35 in the head during normal operation of the machine, but that said set screw serves to keep the can from accidental displacement from the head as previously suggested, particularly when the jaw member is released from engagement with said catch 45.

In the form shown, the links 42 are provided with depressions 49 which yieldingly engage the adjacet cheeks ll of the jaw member so as to restrain excessive pivotal movement of the parts while the jaw member is in unlocked position.

As a further advantage of the construction hereinabove described, it will be observed from Fig. 2 that owing to the simplicity of construction of the jaw member 29 which herein consists of a single thickness of metal at the front end of the base III, the driveway 21 is disposed much closer to the front end of the machine than is possible with previous forms of tacking machines employing more complicated fastening devices for the driveway parts. With this arrangement, the delivery passage of my improved machine can be positioned so that staples can be applied to plane surfaces in closer proximity to overhanging shoulders or abutments.

Although I have shown and described one particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing, from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a staple-driving machine, a head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, a drive member reciprocable in said driveway, spring means on said head for actuating said drive member, a movable reaction member for said spring means, a movable jaw member forming one wall of said driveway, and means operatively connecting said reaction member to said jaw memberto urge said jaw member toward said driveway under compression of said spring means.

2. In a staple-driving machine, a head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, including a movable jaw member for said driveway, a-

drive member reciprocating in said driveway, spring means on said head for actuating said drive member, a movable reaction member for said spring means, a catch adjacent the front of said head detachably engageable by said jaw member, and means operatively connectingsaid reaction member to said jaw member at a point disposed rearwardly of said catch so that the normal compression of said spring means secures said jaw member to said head under forwardlyyielding tension.

3. In a staple-driving machine, a head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, a' drive member reciprocable in said driveway, spring means for actuating said drive member, a movable jaw member adapted to form an upright wall for said driveway, and linkage means yieldingly actuated by compression of said spring means for urging said jaw member toward said driveway.

4. In a staple-driving machine, ahead having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, a drive member reciprocating in said driveway, spring means on said head for actuating said drive member, a movable jaw member adapted to form an upright. wall for said driveway, and linkage means yieldingly actuated by compression of said spring means for urging said jaw-member toward said driveway under pressure substantially proportional to the degree of compression of said spring means. a

5. In a staple-driving machine, a head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, including a movable jaw member for said driveway, a drive member reciprocable in said driveway, spring means for actuating said drive member, a movable reaction member for said spring means at the top of said head, a catch adjacent the bottom of said head detachably engageable by said jaw member, and means operatively connecting said reaction member to said jaw member so that said jaw member will be retained in engagement with said catchunder normal compression of said spring means.

6. In a staple-driving machine, a head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, including a movable jaw member forming the front wall of said driveway, a drive member reciprocating in said driveway, spring means on said head for actuating said drive member, a movable reaction member for said spring means at the top of said head, a catch on the front of said head detachably engageable by said jaw member, and

means operatively connecting said reaction member to said jaw member at a point disposed rearwardly of said catch so that said jaw member is secured to said head under normal compression of said spring means, but saidjaw member being removable from engagement with said head to expose the driveway thereof, by exerting additional compression on said spring means suflicient to disengage said jaw member from said catch. I

7. In a staple-driving machine, a head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, a drive member reciprocable in said driveway, spring means on said head, manually operated means connected with said drive member for placing said spring means under driving compression, a movable reaction member for said spring means. a movable jaw member forming one wall of said driveway, and means operatively connecting said reaction member to said jaw member to hold the latter in engagement with said head under normal compression of said spring means and to urge said jaw member with increased pressure against said head under increased operating compression of said spring means.

8. In a staple-driving machine, a hollow head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, a drive member reciprocable in said driveway, spring means in the upper portion of said head for actuating said drive member, a cap telescoped on said head forming a movable reaction member for the upper end of said spring means, a movable jaw member adapted to form a front enclosing wall for saiddriveway, and links pivotally connecting said cap to said jaw member in a plane oifset rearwardly of said driveway so as to urge said jaw member towards said driveway under compression of said spring means.

9. In a staple-driving machine, a hollow head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, 76

a drive member reciprocable in saiddriveway. spring means in the upper portion of said head, manually operated means associated with said drive member for placing said spring meansunder driving ,compression, a cap telescopedgon said head and forming a movable reaction member for the upper end of said spring means, a movable jaw member adapted to form a front enclosing wall for said driveway. a catch adjacent the front of said head detachably engageable by said jaw member, and links pivotally connecting said cap to said jaw member in a plane oii'set rearwardly of said driveway so that said jawmember is maintained in engagementwith said catch and yieldingly urged toward said driveway under pressure substantially proportional to the amount of compression exerted on said spring means.

10. In a staple driving machine, a head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, a movable jaw member-adapted toflform an upright wall of said driveway, a drive member reciprocable in said driveway, springmeans for actuating said drive member, a movable reaction member for said spring means on said head, a catch on said head detachably engageable by said jaw member, a pair of links pivotally connecting said reaction member to said jaw member so as to urge the latter about said catch as a fulcrum and toward said driveway under compression of said spring means, but said jaw member upon disengagement from said catch being free to swing with said links away from said driveway so as to facilitate unclogging of the latter.

11. In a staple driving machine, a head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, a laterally disposed staple magazine having means for feeding staples successively into said driveway, a staple drive member reciprocable in said driveway, spring means for actuating said drive member, a movable jaw member adapted to form an upright wall for said driveway opposite the feeding end of said staple magazine, and linkage means yieldingly actuated by compression of said spring means for urging said jaw member toward said driveway and said staple magazine.

12. In a staple driving machine, a head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, a laterally disposed staple magazine having means'for feeding staples successively into said driveway, a staple drive member reciprocable in said driveway, spring means for actuating said drive memher, a movable jaw member adapted to form an upright wall for said driveway opposite the feeding end of said staple magazine, and linkage means yieldingly actuated by compression of said spring means in one position for urging said jaw member toward said driveway and said staple magazine, but permitting bodily removal of said jaw member from said driveway in another position so as to facilitate unclogging of said staple magazine and said driveway.

13. In a staple driving machine, a head having I a staple driveway adjacent the bottom thereof, a staple magazine having means'for. feeding staples successively into said driveway from one side thereof, the lower wall of said driveway opposite said staple magazine being normally closed by a movable jaw member, a staple drive member re ciprocable in said driveway, spring means for acby a movable jaw member pivotally supported adjacent the front of said head, a staple drive member reciprocable in said driveway, spring means for actuating said drive member, a movable reaction member for said spring means, and means operatively connecting said reaction member to said jaw member and rearwardly of the pivotal connection of said jaw member to urge; the latter toward said driveway under compressipn of said spring means.

15. In a staple driving machine, a head having a staple driveway at the bottom thereof, a laterally disposed staple magazine having means for feeding staples successively into said driveway, a staple drive member reciprocable in said driveway, spring means for actuating said drive member, a movable jaw member adapted to form an upright wall for said driveway opposite the feeding end of said staple magazine, a catch adjacent the front of said head detachably engageable by said jaw member, and linkage means connected to said jaw member rearwardly of said catch and yieldingly actuated by compression of said spring means for urging said jaw member toward said driveway and said staple magazine, but permitting bodily removal of said jaw member from said driveway when it is disengaged from said catch.

- AUGIE L. HANSEN. 

